Not since the era of Richard Nixon have moderate Republicans wielded the power that today a few moderate Republican Senators wield. In those years, Republicans were not so rigidly identified with business and religious interests. That all changed with Ronald Reagan, whose influence extended into all facits of his party. Reagan pushed his own party to the right, resulting in the virulent, uncompromising politics of Newt Gingrich, George W. Bush, and John McCain. It is now plain that the “Change” promised by McCain in his 2008 campaign was hypocrisy and deception. He is at one with his right-wing friends in the Senate, and any possibility that he will be seen as a potential ally for change in the Senate is over.
The fact now is that, given the limited loyalty of Blue Dog Democrat party members in the Senate, the Obama administration is dependent upon a few moderate Republican senators to get his programs through a recalcitrant Senate.
If we needed any reminder, the country is still severely divided between the archconservative business and fundamentalist interests versus the progressive, liberal, and democratic left. But then, Obama only won by 4 percent of the popular vote. We shouldn’t be surprised when Obama has only limited success in fulfilling his promises with a virulent right-wing committed to stopping his reforms.
